272. Staying Competitive in the Seed Fund Boom, Success Metrics at the Fund Level, and the Shifting Equilibrium of Investors and Founders (David Goldberg)

David Goldberg of Alpaca VC joins Nick to discuss Staying Competitive in the Seed Fund Boom, Success Metrics at the Fund Level, and the Shifting Equilibrium of Investors and Founders. In this episode, we cover:

• Walk us through your background and path to VC
• Tell us about your shift from law to finance and to becoming a founder of FreshNeck?
• What’s the thesis at  Alpaca VC?
• Talk to us about your Field Studies and why you do them.
• How do you develop a thesis on consumer behavior, trends, and how they will evolve in the coming years?
• Similar to us you do a lot of OKR and KPI measurement and tracking as a firm... what are some of the most important metrics you track that should ultimately lead to the right progress?
• What about w/ the portfolio companies?
• Do you have systems and processes on the front-end, pre-investment
• You are a remote team of fund managers in NY, CO, and FL... what are the advantages and drawbacks for startups with w/ remote teams?
• Do you think the center of gravity is shifting away from the Valley?
• You recently invested $2.5M of your personal capital into 6 Black and Latin fund managers - what drove this decision?
• What are your thoughts on Carta X and new liquidity for late-stage equity?